Making the money last

[codeworker]

Hi Everyone,

So for the first time in my adult life I am actually budgeting each month. I started in March and it's going ok, minus a couple of blips/oversights.

I have just sat and looked at my money between now and payday (27th June) and I have £489 left. From this I have to buy food for me and my 2 dc's. I can do this quite cheaply as I have quite a bit in the freezer. I want to make this money stretch as far as possible and potentially have some left by the 27th.

Am I being over ambitious?

If thats just for food you could easily manage on that with some to spare.

Unless you have other significant compulsory expenses like fuel,
or other car costs, or if something breaks and needs replacing, school clothes and shoes (hopefully not at this time of year) or childcare bills, that sounds doable.

Obviously weekend trips to Alton Towers are off the cards, so perhaps think about what you could do at the weekend that doesn't cost very much. Plus avoiding other significant uses of money - if you normally buy takeaways, try to find supermarket alternatives like a curry meal deal or nice frozen pizza for example.

As well as trying to spend less, can you also make money? Do you have anything you could sell? Change your bank account for the free money? Look on Moneysaving Expert for how to do this and other ideas to make your money go further.

I'd be more worried if you can't make £489 feed 3 people for less than 3 weeks!

Is it JUST for food? If so then it’s definitely doable. If you ask ChatGPT to help you meal plan with ingredients that are resourceful and cross functional as such for example- buy a large 12 pack of sausages and have bangers and mash one every and then the next evening have sausage pasta bake. Buy a large chicken and make a chicken dinner with the leftover potatoes and use the leftover chicken to make a curry with rice

You might want to take a look at some cashback apps that can help with supermarket discounts (eg everup). I started using these about a year ago now and save 3-4% of supermarket shopping.

If that’s all for food then it’s loads! I’d have at least £150 left after 3 weeks of shopping!

It’s amazing that you’ve started budgeting and already have a clear picture of your spending. Having £489 left with food mostly sorted from the freezer gives you a strong head start. Maybe try planning out simple, low-cost meals, keep an eye out for deals at the shops, and avoid little impulse buys that add up. Even setting aside a small “don’t touch” amount like £20 can give you a nice feeling of control. It’s doable to stretch that money and even have some left over by payday.